It's probably impossible for Badou's smile to get any softer.

"Try it on, I'll be your honest critique~!" Of course, it wouldn't be wrong for her to try on a dress.

they weren't here . and perhaps she didn't miss their echoes rippling behind every move she made . and maybe that was enough to embolden zelda , because the pressure is all too convincing . " alright , alright . i shall try it on . pardon me a moment . "

zelda hugged the dress tight to her chest and escaped behind a thick dressing curtain . there was a part of her who held dear the hope that she might put on the dress and feel every bit of how she perceived tae to be . yet , situated next to it was the nagging pessimism that her delusion ran too deep .

she emerged after a good minute with her hope engulfed with shame . rosy were the tips of her ears , warm to the touch . a hand shielded half her face , blistered with a crimson shyness and ashamed .

ashamed to be seen so cute .

. ⟡ * random starter for @dancingxflames !

"Do you miss your homeworld?"

Harukaze paused, realized that it was probably a foolish question-- just about anyone would answer yes to that. So, he added, "If this world suddenly gave you a chance to return, would you?"

Something like that might be a little more complicated.

They were sitting out in the forest, atop a sturdy branch. The late spring weather was nice, breezy and cool from the storm that had passed through earlier, and Harukaze after much deliberation and contemplation had invited Tae to join him on a patrol in the Aether Reserve. They'd spent a while looking for any birds' nests that had been knocked down by the wind and setting them back, making sure there weren't any branches fallen over the paths... things like that.

Because that was what friends did, right?

He sighed softly, glancing up toward still-grey sky.

Tae's legs kick back and forth. "Concordia is a complex yet beautiful world." She's glad there are books and such in the archive. It's how she learned a bit about other worlds.

"Did you know Concordia used to have all four kingdoms as one a long time ago? Everything was in harmony, in peace, and everyone worked together."

The swinging of her legs stops, and she exhales softly. "So much has changed, but it is still beautiful. You would have liked it.

" oh , wow . "

palm pressed to cheek . the garment was quite frilly , and that wasn't intended to be a dig , rather zelda simply couldn't envision herself in something so obviously sweet and girlish . itchy , thick lace dotted the hemming . the details dangled , held on by a thread . it was cheaply made , but more importantly . . . undeniably cute .

" i have always been told that it is most proper for me to maintain an . . . understated appearance . i can only imagine the scolding i would receive for showing out in something so ostentatiously cute . . . they might have considered me a spectacle . "

zelda's head lulled to the side , retrieving the hanger from tae to inspect it a little closer : as if to give the dress a better second chance than her gut initially had . she held it to her form , trying to better envision how it might look on her , " it wouldn't be vain of me to try to wear something like this when nobody is looking , no ?? "

"Try it on, I'll be your honest critique~!" Of course, it wouldn't be wrong for her to try on a dress.

"Mm-mm. Those never interested me. However, being here has shown me so much! I enjoy them now." To dress cute and prettifully and with Lilith nonetheless? It was all times spent together with friends.

" and here i thought perhaps you might be in need of something practical from the market , " zelda teased , ribbing gently . although , for one like tae whose femininity blossomed like a bud in spring , perhaps it was perfectly natural to want such delicacies . for tae was dainty and delicate herself .

in some ways , zelda wished she too could suit such frivolities : the desire to one day be seen as precious and cute too . . .

It doesn't take long for them to get to the market place either. Already, Tae is looking and this and that.

The necklace has already been purchased the moment that they had stepped foot in the market. It's in its precious box inside a bag.

. . . looking all over for her ??

the warm press of a smile crimped dimples into her cheeks . a polite , tight lipped smile brimming with the pride of being invited . included . how she so enjoyed when others thought to invite her along for the most simple of excursions . for the most simple were oftentimes her most favorite .

Mentioning my dog Lulu under the cut.

Her answer was both a relief and a disappointment.

"I suppose it is possible, isn't it? There are three of us from the same world who were brought here. Me, Lilith, and Lilith's dear friend, Uriah."

He's a man with many questions. Who can blame him when he's brought into a world that doesn't make quite much sense yet?

"I lost count, hehe! BUT I have been here for more than a year." How long exactly has it been? She wasn't sure.

"Oh, it was no problem, miss. Glad to help. It's a shame that they don't seem to have step stools at the end of the aisles."

Clark looked vaguely at the shelf, picking a book for himself without much thought and adding it to his own stack. Learning about the plant and animal life here would be good too, aside from just focusing in on the how and why or history.

Tae is happily opening the book she's been searching for. Lilith would love this book for sure! At the man's question, she lifts her gaze to meet his pretty blues. "Mm? Mm-Mm! I'm like you!" She assumed he was brought here like the rest of them.

He just needed to find someone and get the lay of the situation. Back in Arcanus, he had been told what happened and given equipment to help. But he's pretty sure even the East Tower folks... had no idea what this danger really was.

Just as hope was about to be lost, he spotted her.

" T-Tae? Tae! " Cucumber whisper called, waving his star wand from behind his hiding spot in the Tergite Wing. He hoped he could get her attention without drawing the attention of the surveying machines.

She presses a hand against the boy's cheek and affectionately caresses , "youre okay," she reassures. She looks over her left then to her right.

☀️-- The nigh reporter instinct to find out more had led Clark to the Arcanus Archives, the man wandering the immense library of information, looking for whatever he could find, tapping out notes on his phone. He was taking as many notes as possible about everything he could dig up on the Isles and how he had been sent here. He tried to be mindful of other people who might want the same books, but the table he hovered over was still loaded with them nonetheless.

He had gone up a level to the second floor, now, to look at folk tales. Maybe that would help him. As he perused the shelves and flickered through books to see if they might be useful, he caught sight of a young lady and changed course. She seemed to be struggling to reach something and he couldn't see any stools or ladders around.

Clark reached up easily to the shelf and picked out what it seemed she was going for. He held it out. "Here, miss. Is this what you were looking for?"